Unleashed
Case of the Yorkshire Pudding
By Erik Schubach
Copyright © 2019 by Erik Schubach
Published by Erik Schubach on Smashwords
P.O. Box 523
Nine Mile Falls, WA 99026
Cover Photo © 2019 Vadymvdrobot & Belchonock / Depositphotos licenses
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, blog, or broadcast.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Manufactured in the United States of America
FIRST EDITION
ISBN 9780463263365
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 – Perimeter Breach
Chapter 2 – Hudson Valley
Chapter 3 – Activities
Chapter 4 – Check Mate
Chapter 5 – Break In
Chapter 6 – Go Inside, Now!
Chapter 7 – Favorite Aunt
Chapter 8 – DNA
Chapter 9 – Road Trip
Chapter 10 – Suspicious
Chapter 11 – Curiouser and Curiouser
Chapter 12 – Liar Liar Pants On Fire
Chapter 13 – It All Comes Together
Chapter 14 – Explanations
Chapter 15 – Meeting
Epilogue
Sample chapter of book 1
Chapter 1 – Perimeter Breach
Damn, how had this happened? I could hear squads converging from all sides as I dashed along the side of the building. Most of the occupants of the structure had already been detained inside. The building was on Black Alert lockdown.
My flashlight weaved across the concrete walk in front of me, other beams converging on my location. I made the hand signal, and the others started to fan out as I skidded around the corner along the chain link fence that circled the perimeter of the small recreation yard.
I could hear my own pulse thundering in my ears with each footfall. I called out, “Headcount, now!” As I slowed and examined the perimeter fencing carefully, a foot at a time. It didn't help that the lighting was so dim in the compound this late at night, it had never been an issue before.
A voice came over my earpiece. “Twenty-two. I repeat two two.”
I growled as I reached the corner to find part of the chain link had been cut and pulled aside as I called out, “Units Alpha and Bravo, this is Mother Wolf, we have two in the wind. I repeat, two escapees in the wind.”
The immediate responses were “Roger Mother Wolf, Alpha has right flank.” Then another voice, “Roger, Bravo has left.”
I crouched and pulled a spool of baling wire and a pair of pliers from my go-bag and started on a temporary fix to the fencing as I pulled it tight together, sealing the breach.
All the time, my eyes were scanning the darkness out there, knowing that we had two fugitives on the... wha? Military? Prisoners? Oh, no no no. Let me introduce myself. The name's Finnegan Temperance May, dog walker extraordinaire, at your service. No really, at your service, if you have a dog in need of walking, you can book me on my website at FinneganWalks.com.
My mother asked from beside me as she held a flashlight for me, “Fin dear. It's a little chilly out tonight. I'm going to head back up to my apartment and tuck little Killer in with Puddles. Let me know if you find the missing dogs.”
She kissed my cheek and turned to go back inside and up to her apartment on the second floor, above Central Park Tails, my dog rescue here in New York, just outside of Central Park.
I nodded, the grim look of determination and worry slipping from my face as I waved, “K. Night mom, love you.”
She said as she patted the head of the adorable Yorkshire Terrier in her shoulder bag as she went, “Love you too Tempe.”
My mom loves me, so there. I smiled then my smile turned into a scowl of worry again. Someone went through a lot of trouble to break into the rescue so the night staff wouldn't see them. But they left the dog door open when they left, and it was chaos in the play yard until it was noticed by the night staff.
I was called in as they wrangled the dogs back inside. I left a message for my wife, Detective Jane McLeary about the break-in, but she was on stakeout halfway across town to catch an armed robbery suspect. She messaged back to make sure I... and everyone else was ok, and that she would send a car.
My pet Border Collie took advantage of me being down at his level and gave me a big ol' wet slurp upside my cheek. I smiled at him. “Opportunistic boy.” He was such a cutie with his thief of hearts style black mask of fur over the white fur of his face.
I told him, “I know, I'm worried about them too, but we have our best out tracking them now.”
I had rushed out of our place, barely taking the time to get into a nice solid black sundress with its broad white, lapel-like collar and sash and some black cross-trainers in case I had to run. My oversize leather jacket, which I had stolen from my personal Detective, fought off the midnight chill in the autumn air.
I was a little surprised to find that when I had arrived here ten minutes ago to organize the perimeter search with the rest of the staff and volunteers whom I had called in on the walk over, that I had beat the patrol car. But I'm not one to let moss grow under me.
I'm glad of one thing tonight, that Jess and Kerry were still off on their honeymoon, or their overprotective amazon butts would have been fretting over this like I had somehow attracted it to me. But contrary to popular belief; and when I say popular, I mean thousands of people; I am not a magnet for trouble. I'm not. What's with that look on your face? I'm not! Shut up.
I absently wondered what thrill-seeking activities they had done down in the Caribbean today. Probably something completely tame and laid back like bungee jumping from a moving helicopter through flaming hoops into a raging stampede. What? Don't look at me like that, them girls be crazy. They had sent me selfies of them hang gliding from the peak of a volcanic caldera yesterday, what sane person does that? A piece of fabric between you and a plummeting fall that would end in a violent stop? Seriously, who does that?
Actually. Technically, it was supposed to be me doing those monumentally dangerous things with Jane, or more realistically she'd be trying to coax me into them. But she hadn't known my paralyzing fear of planes. Sure she'd heard me tease the girls about it whenever they tried to get me to go on a helicopter ride with Kerry piloting. But she hadn't yet learned that it is the most terrifying thing on this planet that I can imagine. And this is from a girl who has been kidnapped, beat, stabbed, and chased by bad guys more times than any dog walker ever ought.
So Jane got the tickets transferred to our best friends, and we re-booked to a more Finnegan approved location. Read, car or train distance from home.
I stood and inspected my handiwork, smiled at it, then took off the latex gloves and placed them in a baggie I had labeled 'miscellaneous waste' for later disposal. I tucked it away into my go bag and said to my handsome boy, “Shall we go sound the all clear and see who's missing, boy?”
His swishing tail and big goofy doggie grin indicated he agreed as his tongue lolled to one side. I stooped to absently pick up the leash he dragged behind him a
s he trotted beside me in his working dog bib.
I called over the shelter's walkie talkies as I unplugged the earpiece and wrapped it around the unit. “Perimeter secure, cancel Black Alert.”
“Roger, Black Alert canceled.”
I hesitated at the front doors that were set up like a vestibule, or airlock, where only one set of the doors could be open at once to prevent escaped dogs. A police unit running on silent pulled up and parked half on the road and half on the wide sidewalk and turned their strobing blue and white lights on.
I had to grin at the uniformed men getting out of the car, yawning and stretching. Of course it would be them. I heard rumors at the station that Jane makes sure they are on night duty any time she has to be out on a case overnight. She trusts them to watch out for me. As much as I love them, I doubt they appreciate midnight babysitting duty.
I called to them as I waited at the door while I let go of the leash so Calvin could run up to them excitedly to greet them, “Jorge, Kennedy.”
Jorge winked my way as he crouched to give Calvin some good side thumps. “Fin, Cal. What mischief are we arrest... I mean seeing you about tonight?”
Kennedy snorted. I pointed at the silver-haired cop. “Hey now, behave or you won't get any of the emergency cookies I packed for the... well, for the emergency.”
The old beat cop's eyes twinkled in mirth as he tipped his hat to me. “Miss May. Perish the thought.” Then his eyes widened as he asked with hope in his tone, “Snickerdoodles?”
I smiled coyly as I waved my card at the security plate and the door buzzed open while I corrected, “That's McLeary-May now.” I held the door for the men as they hustled to join me inside, Calvin showing them the way. Officer Jorge Garcia stood right next to me, the handsome Latino still looked like a fresh-faced boy to me. But we had to be about the same age. I rolled my eyes as he tried to look into my go bag from his vantage point with just his eyes as he feigned looking forward.
We stepped into the chaos of barking and whining dogs in various states, from confused whining to excited barking, to stressed whimpering, as the staff tried to settle them all down from the excitement of the break-in.
I sighed, smoothed out my skirt, then reached into my bag and pulled out the Tupperware labeled 'Emergency Snickerdoodles' and handed them to Jorge. Then I brought two fingers gingerly to my lips and let out a high pitched screeching whistle that had both humans and canines alike silencing as they turned to look at me. Ooo I had them all trained well.
Now, why can't I train my jerk cop to sort her clothes into the proper piles before I wash them?
I looked around and said to the newcomers, “It seems we had a break in tonight.”
The officers exchanged odd looks, confused as I was as to why someone would break into a dog shelter in the middle of the night. Their thoughts went where mine had so I stopped that concern. “All the drugs in the veterinarian's office are locked up and accounted for. We don't have any adoption fee cash or donations we collect during the day on the premises. I found where they cut through the back fences to get to the dog doors, where they forced one open.”
Jorge stopped writing on his pad as Kennedy looked up. I knew that he was actually using an electronic tablet under the leather cover of his. The old cop asked, “Nothing was missing?”
I shook my head. “The dogs got out in the yards, and two are missing. Hang on...”
I picked up the walkie talkie. “Units Alpha and Bravo, this is Mother Wolf, status?”
“This is Alpha, we have acquired primary target.”
“Mother Wolf, Bravo has eyes on secondary, acquisition eminent.”
I nodded in pride and said, “Well done teams. We'll see you back at point Delta... we have cookies. Mother Wolf out.”
I looked at the smug looking uniformed officers and warned them, “You say one word, and it's no cookies for you.” They were smart enough not to say a word. Good to know it is still easiest to bribe a man through his stomach. I shared as I indicated the walkie talkie as I slipped it next to the others on a row of battery chargers by the main desk at the entrance. “Not even a stolen dog.” Then before they accused, I grumbled, “No, that wasn't a Broken Leash. Just employees and volunteers of the shelter.”
They didn't need to know that the next step in the Code Black procedure if we couldn't locate the dogs was to send out a Broken Leash on the dog walker's network. Something the police have mixed feelings about. Mostly negative feelings.
I shrugged at them and asked, “Maybe Ralph scared them off when doing his rounds?”
Ralph, who was covering Kayleigh's shift tonight, offered as he looked sheepish while he held a finger up to offer, “And by making my rounds, she means diligently checking the inside of my eyelids as I snored and drooled at the work table there while doing paperwork.”
Doh! I cringed. Couldn't blame the man, he had already worked a full day before taking the shift for Kayleigh, who had a date I had lined up for her with a doorman friend of mine, Jamal. I had hopes, since they would make a gorgeous couple.
The funny man offered in recompense, “But the good news here is that everything is in order inside my lids.” He pointed out, “The doors are all locked at night, and... who would rob a pet shelter?” Point and point.
But it did scare me a little. The hard truth was that there really were people out there who would rob us for the drugs in the veterinary cabinet. They could sell some of that stuff for a mint on the streets. Maybe we needed to beef up the security, at least on the dog doors to the play yards at night. Like a simple padlock would have stopped the one from being forced open.
I thought back to the bad luck on our honeymoon, with the door to our room being forced while we were out, then our SUV window being broken the next day.
I asked the officers as they wrote the incident report, “By the lolling tongue and wagging tail boys, why does this keep happening to me?”
They gave me understanding looks as Ralph raised his hand. I didn't even look his way, I knew the Jokey McJoke-butt, and I pointed his direction, snapping, “Shut up.” He kept his mouth shut and I beamed in victory.
That's when the other volunteers showed up and buzzed through first one set of doors, then the next. They unclipped their escaped convicts and released them back into general population. All eyes were on the Tupperware next to Jorge as he wrote. I cleared my throat, and he looked at me, the others, then the container. He grinned and made a show of taking not one, but two snickerdoodles, Kennedy taking one, before he offered the rest around. He was such a bad boy.
Kennedy offered as he removed his cap to rub the top of his silvered head, “You seem well organized for the situation.”
I nodded and shared, “Of course. We have emergency contingency plans for just about everything. This one was a Black Alert, meaning possible missing dog from the premises. I've each printed on its own card for all workers and volunteers.”
Someone fake coughed, trying to camouflage their, “And laminated.” Someone else fake coughed an addendum to smartass number one, “And labeled.”
I pouted, and they assured me, “We love you, boss.” Poutus-interruptus. I grinned.
I glanced around the place in pride. Calvin and my rescue was like no other kennel. When we designed it, I insisted there be no cages in it. If a dog is homeless, it is just bigger stress to throw it in what amounts to a doggie jail with concrete floors and chainlink cages. CPT was different, the entire place was made up to resemble a big home. The main room had a half dozen couches, various dog beds and throw rugs in open spaces, and dog doors out to the small yards. There were a couple of isolation rooms in case we got temperamental dogs in who needed to be socialized, and even those rooms were set up like small bedrooms.
The only room that didn't look like it belonged in a house in the suburbs was the exam room which looked like any other veterinary clinic. That was out of both practicality and necessity, as well as letting the dogs get used t
o how things would be at the veterinary visits they would be subjected to their whole lives.
We had two full-time employees, and the rest, including our vet and groomer, were volunteers. For the most part, each dog got at least one walk a day, sometimes two, and they were walked by the professional dog walkers of New York City. Over the course of any given day, ten or twenty of the thousands of dog walkers in the city would show up to walk the dogs.
We... are legion.
The workers all relaxed as they ate their cinnamon-y bribes then after giving their names to the officers, yawned and made their ways out. Their destinations? Their beds at their homes of course. What kind of person calls her employees in the middle of the night to come in for an emergency? I'd strike a guilty pose if I weren't about to fall over asleep myself.
I duckwalked to a couch and flopped into it. Calvin then a couple other dogs who weren't wandering off to find their own spots joined me. The men got the rest of the information from me as I answered robotically, pausing for a moment to ask, “Jane did tell you I'm not under arrest, right?”
Don't laugh. I have to clarify sometimes because, with my girl, it could easily go either way, and she shows no remorse over it, the jerk cop.
The men chuckled at me and said, “Come on Fin, we'll give you and Cal a ride home.”
I felt my cheeks heat and smiled my thanks, tucking an errant strand of loose curling hair behind my ear. By the sacred chew toy, I had not been looking forward to trudging back home. And I knew they asked half because we were friends now, and half because they feared the specter of my detective, who the department has dubbed the Ice Queen.
I asked Ralph, “Call the insurance company about the fence in the morning before you head home? My fence patch should hold just fine until then.”
He nodded, yawned, and waved me off.
Then after a try or two, I rocked to my feet, Calvin at my side and we joined the men as we headed out. I called out to the furry babies. “Good night little ones. The excitement is over.” I waved at them and knowing how awkward it looked, I pivoted to include Ralph.
Case of the Yorkshire Pudding Page 1
